Sweet Revenge
by SuGaRnSpIcE4222
Summary: With the sudden return of Colleen Brady, Stefano is none too thrilled. Her death would have avenged his father's, but even that hasn't worked out. Now he must get revenge in the only way he knows how; and who better than Jeannie, the last reminder of Kim?
1. Salem University Hospital

_Disclaimer: I don't own Days or any characters unless I've made them up. However, if I did own Days, it would probably have better storylines than the usual 'kill me now this has dragged on forever' storylines. _

_Authors Note: I'll still be continuing my other Story, Hush Little Baby, but this idea I could not get out of my head. In this, Kimberly and Shane were both killed during a case from the ISA. Jeannie and Andrew were sent to live with Caroline and Shawn at the pub, and have been raised by the Brady's since they were 4 and 8. _

Chapter One

Jeannie Donovan opened her chocolate brown eyes as the sun beamed in annoyingly. She groaned, kicking the covers off and running her hands over her face. "I hate mornings" She said to herself. Downstairs she could hear her family boasting about something that probably wasn't all that important, but her family was loud and boastful; cheerful- always. In the mornings, she hated cheerful. In the mornings, she found, she hated everything.

"Jeannie!" Her Aunt's soft voice piped in from the cracks of her bedroom door. "Jeannie wake up; breakfast is ready and you're going to be late for school!"

"I don't want to go" She whined, throwing her slender legs off the side of the bed.

"And yet… you still have to." Kayla smiled and opened the door to her niece's bedroom. It was warm, but not too warm, and the yellow painted walls illuminated the sun's rays just right. "Come on, I'll help you pick something out to wear."

"I can do it" Jeannie pouted. Aside from Zack and Ciara, she was the youngest of the Brady grandchildren (with the exception of Claire, who was a great-grandchild), and was always treated like a baby. After her parents died, she and her brother, Andrew, were all the Brady's had left of their beloved daughter and sister, Kimberly, so they were…special. Nothing could happen to them, for if something did then Kimberly would be gone to the Brady's forever.

"If you do it, we'll never leave the pub," Kayla insisted, rummaging through Jeannie's drawers. She picked out an old shirt and sweater she bought for her just last Christmas; they had never been worn, a fact which Kayla couldn't help but smile about. "These would look amazing on you."

"If they didn't hide my body I'd probably wear them" Jeannie stood in front of the desk mirror, combing her dark brown hair, which matched her father's.

"You're just 17, Jeannie. Don't be in such a rush to grow up. Stephanie didn't start wearing revealing clothes until she lived on her own and started college."

"Good for Stephanie." Jeannie rolled her eyes and let out a heave of exasperation. She entered the tiny bathroom, adjoined to her room and threw on a pair of curve-flattering blue jeans and lacy black tank top. She quickly did her eye make-up, threw her hair in a pony-tail and ran out of the room, ready for breakfast.

"Absolutely not," Kayla called after her blur of a niece. Jeannie ignored her aunt and trampled down the steps.

"Well good morning." Caroline smiled and handed her a plate of bacon and eggs. "You better hurry and eat; I think your aunt has a meeting before she sees her patient's this morning, so if you want a ride…"

"I'll walk. School isn't that far from here anyways," Jeannie took a bite of her bacon and dipped her toast in the spilling yolk of the eggs.

Bo leaned in, squinting at Jeannie. Jeannie turned her head and looked at him, just about to bite down on more toast. "Can I help you?" She tried not to laugh at her uncle's facial expressions.

"What the heck are you wearing?" Bo questioned, looking from his niece to his wife and then back to his niece.

"Clothes," Jeannie replied simply. Kayla walked down the stairs and threw a sweater towards her niece's direction.

"I don't need the school calling my office again today to tell me that my niece is dressed inappropriately and that if I don't bring you some clothes you're going to sit in Internal Suspension."

"So don't pick up the phone" Jeannie smiled and tossed the sweater aside, as any normal 17 year old girl would do. "Besides, we're taking a class trip to the nature park today for Biology."

"Oh?" Kayla looked up from her nook in Steve's arms, sipping warm coffee. "Do any of us need to sign, oh, I don't know, a field trip form?"

"I already did," Caroline explained, coming up the steps with a small case of beer.

"Ha-ha" Jeannie teased childishly as she got up from her spot at the tiny table. Belle took her plate from her and set it aside to be washed and replaced the plate with a brown paper bag, containing Jeannie's lunch.

"Your grandmother made that for you this morning to take with you on your trip." Belle explained.

"Thanks" Jeannie said, grasping the bag with her right hand and flinging her purse-like back pack over her shoulder. "See you guys later." She kissed only her grandmother's cheek before strutting out of the pub.

Caroline smiled and watched her leave. "She's growing up, that girl"

"Yes she is," Grandpa Shawn agreed with a jolly smile on his face. "She reminds me so much of Kimberly, too" Shawn laughed full heartedly; He was a happy man, and being that it was March, the month of his favorite holiday-St. Patrick's Day- he was even happier than usual.

"She really does," Kayla chuckled. Steve rubbed small circles on his wife's tiny back. Kayla was four months pregnant with their second child, and often got back aches.

---

By Six P.M. no one had heard from Jeannie; she was not the type of girl who didn't call if she wasn't going to be home for dinner, or after school, for that matter. Caroline paced back and forth from behind the bar top; leaving skid marks where freshly waxed wood once covered the floor.

It was storming like crazy outside when Steve finally came back in, shaking his wet umbrella off and leaving it at the door. "No sign of her," he reported. Bo followed shortly and, to everyone's dismay, gave the same testimony.

"I don't know where the hell she could be then," Stephanie sighed; she'd told them Jeannie's entire list of favorite hang out spots in Salem; well, all the ones she knew of.

"It's alright baby girl," Steve kissed the top of his daughter's head. "You did what you could. She'll turn up, I'm sure of it."

---

Jeannie opened her eyes in a plain white room, machines surrounding her with incessant beeping noises, following the rhythm of her heart. She tugged tiredly on the white sheets and looked around, yawning. A woman in light blue scrubs stood before her, adjusting the flow of her IV. The woman looked down and smiled. "How do you feel?"

"My head hurts," Jeannie said, placing her unaffected hand at her forehead. "Where am I?' Jeannie yawned.

"You're at Salem University Hospital." The nurse replied, removing the kinks from Jeannie's IV line.

"What happened?" Jeannie asked, her chocolate brown eyes looking up at the nurse curiously.

"I don't know much," the nurse replied; she'd only read the Paramedic's report from Jeannie's chart. "But from what I know, your class was coming back from a field trip when the bus was blind-sided and hit on your side of the bus. A couple other students were injured, but I must say you got the rotten end of the deal" The nurse said, re-taping down Jeannie's IV. "Anymore questions?"

"Just one," Jeannie said, biting her lip. "Who am I?"

The nurse looked at her, stunned. "You mean you don't know?"

Jeannie shook her head nervously.

"You didn't have any ID on you when the paramedics brought you in. The doctor's said temporary memory loss might be a small possibility, but we all just assumed you'd be able to tell us when you woke up." The nurse excused herself momentarily to tell the charge nurse to page Jeannie's doctor.

"The doctor will be right in," The nurse told Jeannie, emerging once again into the room. Jeannie nodded. "When he's gone I'll send in a Patient Care Assistant to help you clean up a bit; maybe get some of that dried blood off you."

Jeannie nodded again and rested her tiny head on the pillow, awaiting the arrival of her doctor. If the nurse didn't know who she was, maybe someone in the hospital might, by chance.


	2. What did you say my name was?

_Disclaimer: I still don't own Days, but I kind of wish I did. I want to be rich just as much as the next person. _

Chapter Two 

The twenty-four hours Jeannie was missing was the worst twenty-four hours the Brady's had ever experienced; excluding the two days Kim and Shane were missing before they were presumed dead. No one had slept that night; in fact, no one had left the pub unless it was to go search for Jeannie. 

Finally, at 10 A.M. the next morning, Lexie Carver had noticed the sleeping girl by luck while making her rounds on the third floor of Salem U. She quickly pulled out her cell phone and called the Brady's to let them know that Jeannie was safe and sound, admitted as a patient in the hospital. 

"How didn't I notice her?" Kayla cursed herself under her breath on the way to the hospital. 

"Sweetness, you can't blame yourself for last night. You don't even have patients on that floor; you wouldn't have noticed her" 

"I still could have come across her chart or something." Kayla stared out the rain drop-stained window of their SUV. 

"Sweetness, it isn't your fault. Again, you don't even have patients on that floor of the hospital. You coming across her chart would be like 1 out of 100 chances." Steve reassured his wife as he parked their SUV in the space next to Max and Stephanie's vehicle. 

The family walked in together, standing impatiently for the elevator to the third floor. They didn't bother to knock when they entered Jeannie's room; they didn't know of her "condition" and hadn't thought of anything but seeing her. 

---

The doctor stood in front of Jeannie, shining his light in her eyes. "Alright now look to the right." Jeannie did as she was told and he checked pupil dilation. "Now to the left," he told her, as she moved her eyes to the left. "Good. Everything seems to be looking okay. You have a minor concussion, but that should clear up soon. We'll keep you tonight and tomorrow and you can go home on Friday." Jeannie nodded. "Alright" she whispered. 

She motioned her head to her family, and looked at the doctor. "Who are they?" she asked, frightened. 

"Well that must be your family." The doctor smiled and introduced himself. "I'm Doctor Montgomery. I've been handling Jeannie's case since she was brought into the hospital yesterday afternoon." 

Kayla shook hands first with the doctor; they worked in the same field; they would be on the same level. "What is my niece's diagnosis?" Kayla pulled him to the corner, talking away from Jeannie. 

"She has a minor concussion, some cuts and bruises. And she has a temporary case of amnesia." Dr. Montgomery spoke soft; Jeannie was fragile at the moment and he did not want to scare her anymore than she already was. 

Kayla nodded. "Is she familiar with general terms, like dog, cat, house, etc?" 

"She seems to be. She just doesn't understand certain complex thoughts and ideas, and she is in no way aware of who she is, where she came from, or who anyone in her life is. She doesn't remember going to school yesterday and she doesn't remember the crash." 

Kayla nodded in understanding but the look on her face was total disbelief. Her niece was safe and sound just yesterday morning; how could she be lying here now, unaware of her life? The idea scared Kayla so much she clung tightly to her own daughter. Stephanie patted her hand gently; a sign she understood her mother's feelings and even agreed with them. 

"Hi, Sweetie" Caroline smiled warmly as she advanced toward Jeannie, who, in turn, backed up into her bed. 

"Who are you?" Jeannie asked skeptically. She'd met all the nurses and her doctor, so this woman had to have come from the outside. 

"My name is Caroline Brady; I'm your grandmother. You live with me and your Grandpa Shawn at the pub." Caroline pointed Shawn out, who smiled warmly at his young granddaughter. He couldn't imagine how frightened she must be with their large family impeding on her personal space. 

"Oh." Jeannie shut her eyes briefly, trying to recall this woman, but to no avail. 

"It's alright. It's going to take time." Caroline smiled and began pointing out other members of the family. "That is your Aunt Hope and Uncle Bo" the couple waved and Bo took his niece's hand in his strong one. Jeannie quickly pulled her hand back and Caroline continued the introductions. "Your cousin Stephanie, your Uncle Max-by adoption"- she made sure to point this out so Jeannie wouldn't feel uncomfortable when she noticed the two were dating. "Your Uncle Steve, Aunt Kayla." Jeannie nodded, trying to take in all the information. "Your Aunt Hope is holding your cousin Zack and Your Aunt Kayla is holding your cousin Ciara, who is Bo and Hope's daughter." 

Jeannie nodded and inhaled deeply. "Big family," she commented, closing her eyes. 

Caroline nodded and chuckled. "Yes we're a very big family. We're going to step out and give you a chance to take all of this in and maybe get some rest. We'll be just outside if you need anything." 

Jeannie didn't respond to this; how could she respond? She didn't know them; she wasn't going to ask complete strangers for help. 

Caroline took hold of her husband's hand and the two led the family outside to the waiting room. "Kayla, how long will she be like this?" 

Kayla boosted her head up from Steve's shoulder. "I don't know, Mom. I haven't read through her files but usually, in cases like this, each patient's memory comes back at different times. I've seen someone come out of this from a single day up to four months." 

Caroline shook her head. "We'll all just do what we can to make her feel comfortable, loved, and we'll remind her of her past and her life. Hopefully she'll come back to us sooner than we all think." Caroline was forever the optimistic person.

"You're right, Mom. We'll all be there for her" Bo set a reassuring hand on her shoulder. 

"Of course I'm right." Caroline nodded to herself. 

---

Stefano sat in the dark of his living room alone in the Dimera mansion; his hands clasped together in pride as he beamed of his latest wrong-doing. "Andrew, now he was too tough, but Jeannie; Jeannie was easy. Foolish girl believes there is good in everyone; bad flaw to have for someone who should constantly be looking over her shoulder." He laughed maniacally to himself and continued reminiscing over his deed. "Jeannie Donovan is no more," he declared. "She will never again be a Brady and I will own her forever" He laughed again, rubbing his hands together. 

---

There was a light breeze Friday morning as the PCA wheeled Jeannie down to meet her family. "Your grandmother said your Aunt Hope and Uncle Bo are going to pick you up; I think they're planning something special for your return home"

Jeannie nodded, keeping silent. It didn't matter what they did, she wasn't herself and she didn't know them. She didn't want to spend time with people she could hardly remember. Bo and Hope pulled up to the curb and put her duffel bag in the trunk. 

"You ready to go?" Hope's smile was wide and inviting as she helped Jeannie from her seated position in the wheel chair. 

"Ready as I'll ever be." Jeannie pushed Hope away, lifting herself from the wheelchair. She wasn't helpless, and she would not give any of the Brady's the idea that she was; doing so would only give them more of a reason to fawn over her. 

"Then lets get this show on the road" Bo held the backseat door open, and Jeannie hesitantly got in, strapping herself in with the seatbelt. 


	3. I'm not that girl

_Disclaimer: I don't own Days and I am not affiliated with them by any means. _

Chapter Three

Jeannie sat tensed up in the backseat as her so called aunt and uncle drove her to the place where she lived; at least, that's what these people told her. She couldn't really be sure because, well, she didn't have any recollection of her life, her past, and who she was. 

"Your grandmother is making your favorite for dinner tonight" Bo mused happily from the front seat. 

"And what would that be?" Jeannie finally spoke; it was the first sentence of words she'd said to them since she got into the car. 

"Corn beef and cabbage; you'll love it. Might even bring back some memories" Bo suggested in an utmost hopeful tone. 

"I doubt it," Jeannie groaned warily from behind him and fastened her stare to the translucent piece of glass, commonly known as a window. 

"Well," Bo began as the brakes of the car came to a screech, and the car to a halt, "we're here." He put the emergency brake on and got out of the car, popping the trunk on his way out. Hope slipped from the passenger's side, striding around to Jeannie's door and opening it wide for her. "Here, honey," she offered her hand graciously, but was not surprised when Jeannie brushed it away. 

"Thank-You" Jeannie helped herself out of the vehicle and took her duffel bag from her Uncle, securing it on her right shoulder. 

"I can carry that; you really shouldn't be lifting anything heavy right now." Bo insinuated his comment towards her fragile state; a bus accident was nothing minor, and he did not want to see her get hurt anymore than she already was. 

"Its got clothes and a book in it; I think I can manage," Jeannie tossed her hair to the side, as she usually did when she was annoyed- though she didn't acknowledge this habit; possibly, didn't even recognize this habit. 

"Alright, alright" Bo put his hands up in a show of surrender to his niece, who had grown feisty in her days since the accident. Upsetting her was the last thing he wanted to do 

Jeannie walked slowly into the open doors of the pub; all eyes turned and fixated on her. Caroline even stood and hugged her- the first hug she'd gotten from anyone since the accident. Jeannie replied by patting her nervously on the back. She was stand-offish at best, but mean, no. 

"We're so happy to have you home," Caroline's smile was honest; they really were glad to have her there. 

"Thank you," Jeannie whispered. She tried to smile but couldn't bring herself to. 

"You just take all the time you need, alright?" Grandpa Shawn had approached her next and given her a hug; they sure were a touchy-feely family, which only made Jeannie feel all the more uncomfortable. She nodded, though, thankful that he wasn't going to push her into a past she might never regain. 

Kayla and Steve approached her finally, with Stephanie at their side and Jeannie noticed for the first time that Kayla was pregnant. "Welcome home, Baby" Kayla's bright smile matched that of her own, a fact which made Jeannie ease up a bit. At least they were who they claimed to be. 

"Thank-You," Jeannie replied softy, looking from Kayla to Steve to Stephanie. 

"I hope you're feeling better, little cousin." Stephanie gently ruffled Jeannie's hair; a habit which she could not break even if she had tried. 

Jeannie nodded only slightly. 

"You go back to school the day after tomorrow," Kayla declared, as if it were supposed to mean something important to Jeannie. "Your school's nurse is on a temporary leave and I've accepted an invitation to be her fill in for the time being" 

"Aren't you like a doctor, though?" Jeannie furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She knew that a doctor was much higher than a nurse, and couldn't for the life of her understand why someone would accept a job beneath their capabilities. 

Kayla nodded and set her hand on Jeannie's shoulder. "Well I thought that with you in your…condition… you could use a familiar face around. Besides, someone has to keep on eye on you." 

"I can keep an eye on myself." Jeannie folded her arms stubbornly across her chest, taking offense to her aunt's comment.

"I didn't mean it that way," Kayla's voice became suddenly hushed and she took a step back. Jeannie glared at her aunt, cold as ever; no one had ever seen a look like that from Jeannie-but then, this girl, she wasn't Jeannie- she wasn't anyone that anyone in this family recognized. 

Jeannie threw her hands down in exasperation. "I think I'm going to go take a nap; it's been a long day" 

"It's only noon," Caroline protested for a second and then wished she hadn't.

"You take a blow to the head, lose every piece of your identity and then come talk to me about when I should and shouldn't nap." 

"Jeannie that is out of line," Roman stood in front of his mother, who had clearly been hurt by her sudden outburst of anger. 

Jeannie threw her hands up, dropping her duffel bag to the floor. "Jeannie's not here; Jeannie's not coming back; Jeannie is NEVER coming back, so if I were you, I'd get used to the person whose here now." Anger seethed through her voice

"Jeannie!" Kayla looked shocked; who was the girl speaking to them with such disrespect? It certainly wasn't her niece. 

"I'm going for a walk," Jeannie ran a shaky hand through her silky hair, and couldn't help but think it needed washing. 

"Like hell you are. You sit your butt down right here, young lady" Kayla gently but sternly forced her into a sitting position. 

"DON'T touch me," Jeannie's eyes bore into her aunt, as if they were burning her flesh with just a mere gaze. 

"You're my niece. I'll touch you if I want, when I want." 

"You're not my mother," Jeannie had yet to ask about Kim or Shane, surprising everyone with the sudden comment. Did she even know what her parents had gone through to keep her alive? Or her family? 

"No but I'm the closest thing you have to a mother and you will NOT speak to any of us in that tone of voice." Kayla had never been so stern with her, but it wasn't as if Jeannie had known- or even cared- for that matter. 

"I'm not Jeannie; I'll never be her again. Get used to it." 

"No," This time Bo stood up. "You are Jeannie; you need to give yourself time to readjust, make yourself comfortable and concentrate on trying to get your past back." 

Jeannie shook her head. "I don't think so." 

"You don't have a choi"- Bo was about to tell her she had no other option when his father stepped in, his face red with anger. 

"Enough! All of you! Now, Jeannie, we understand you're going through a tough time but you are not the only one hurting here. We all want the old you back, but we'll love the new you no matter what. We're just thankful that you're alive. And the rest of you, leave her alone; Jeannie will come around in her own time; forcing her to be someone she isn't right now is not going to change the fact that she doesn't remember herself or us" Shawn Sr. rarely lectured, and he never yelled. Everyone looked up at him in astonishment.

Jeannie sighed in defeat. "Alright; I'll try if they just get off my back" 

"Fine" Kayla, Bo, and Roman replied in unison but each couldn't help but to wish their Jeannie was there…that Kim was there. Jeannie needed her mother, and her father; she didn't need them, and that frightened the Brady's. 

"Then it's settled; now, Jeannie, why don't I help you up to your room and you can rest." Shawn took her duffel bag from her and led her up the narrow stairwell and to the right, to a room which could only be hers- or someone that used to be her.

"Well this is it," Shawn set the duffel bag down on her bed. "Your clothes are all in those drawers, so if you take a look I'm sure you can figure out what's where. That door over there," he pointed, "is your bathroom. There are extra towels in the closet and extra sheets in the linen closet." He made sure to point out the linen closet, and where a couple other necessities might be found and then made his way to the door. "If you need anything at all your grandmother and I are downstairs." 

Jeannie nodded. "Thanks," her voice was soft, and reminded him of the Jeannie everyone knew and loved. 

Shawn nodded and left her room, closing the wooden door behind him. He sat there, just outside her door for a second, leaning against it tiredly. He missed her already and seeing her like this, his family, like this…it hurt. It hurt more than he cared to explain, and for an instant he thought he might keel over. He thought about Kim; she should be there, not him. Jeannie needed her, not him; she needed Shane, not him. She needed Andrew and Andrew was off at school. A tear ran down his cheek as he thought of the girl his granddaughter once was, and the thought she might never be that girl again… it scared the hell out of him. 


	4. Shadowy Figures

_Disclaimer: I don't own Days…not at all. :-( makes me kind of sad. _

_A/N: Thank you for the reviews; they really help, and they do make me want to continue with the story:-) _

Chapter Four

"Jeannie, wake up!" Caroline's soft voice rang high through the cracks in the wooden door and the potent aroma of eggs wafted its way into her room. Jeannie groaned, throwing the sheets off of her. Why did today have to be Monday? Why couldn't Sunday simply repeat itself? 

"I have school today," Jeannie sighed in exasperation. She wasn't ready to go back; not in the slightest. It was hard enough living with people she didn't know, but at least they were family and they understood. Now she had to face an entire student body of onlookers, peers, people who would claim to know her, claim to be her friend, and for what? She didn't have any recollection of them, so why would it matter? And yet, they'd still approach her, they'd still stop her in the halls, talk to her, ask her questions of an accident she didn't even remember being in. And what would she say to her so-called friends? 'Sorry, Jeannie Donovan doesn't exist, but I'm here now; unfortunately, _**I **_don't know who _**I**_ am.' 

"Jeannie!" Caroline hurried her; even with amnesia her alter-ego hated mornings. 

Jeannie rolled her eyes, curling her legs back beneath her. Nope, no school today; she wouldn't go today and she wouldn't go tomorrow. There would be no school until Jeannie Donovan reentered the building, she decided. 

"Jeannie, if you don't get up in 10 minutes I'm going to send your aunt in," Caroline threatened; Kayla was always a little more tricky when it came to waking up the adolescent female; after all, up until recently, she had had one at home. 

"I'm not going!" Jeannie's muffled voice made its way through the tightly closed door. 

Caroline sighed; "Jeannie, you can't live your life afraid. You can't let one accident change who you are" 

"Uh, it kind of did," Jeannie droned in reference to her amnesia. 

"Fine; you can stay here at the pub with me and your grandfather today, but tomorrow you _have got_ to go back to school" Caroline softened; she didn't want to let Jeannie out of her sight anymore than Jeannie wanted to go to school.

"Fine, whatever" Jeannie shoved her face back into the comfort of her pillow and hid her body once again with the deep brown sheets on her bed. Caroline listened for a minute, and when she heard no more sounds she made her way back downstairs to the pub. 

"Is she almost ready?" Kayla briefly looked up from her coffee, making eye contact with her mother. 

Caroline shook her head, "No," she replied, "she isn't going to go in today" 

"Mom, you can't baby her. It's important that she get back out there." Kayla gently laid a hand on her mother's shoulder. She understood how hard this must've been for her; she herself spent a while crying in bed the night before. Losing Jeannie, but not really losing her, made them feel as though they'd lost Kimberly all over again. Her body was still there but her soul…just wasn't; Jeannie Donovan….just wasn't. 

"I know it is," Caroline patted her daughter's hand in reassurance; she was strong, she'd make it through this. "She just needs one more day; I promise, she's going back tomorrow whether she likes it or not." 

Kayla nodded and lifted her purse from the old table upon which it sat. "Alright; well I'm going to get to work a little early. I'll go to the office and excuse her before going to the nurse's station." 

"Thank you, Kayla" Caroline wrapped her arms gratefully around her daughter. "For everything," she said, looking Kayla in the eyes. "Thank you for helping me all these years with Jeannie and with Andrew, for taking the job at the school for Jeannie, and just for being there." 

Kayla nodded. "Wouldn't have it any other way, mom." With her slender, well-manicured hands, she squeezed her mother's shoulder and then turned to leave. 

"Love you," Caroline called after her; since the accident she'd made sure to tell everyone she loved that she loved them each time they came in and each time they left. She could never be sure she'd see them again, and Jeannie's accident put that into perspective for her. 

"I love you too," Kayla replied, heading out into the cold weather for a long day at work. 

---

Jeannie closed her eyes, and it felt like only a minute before she was back to sleep, dreaming; thinking. Suddenly she was back in her hospital room; it was dark out; she knew this because the cricket outside her window chirped loudly, it's loudest at night time. There was no one else in the room with her; she looked around, even the T.V. had been turned off, probably by the night nurse. 

The shadows of tree branches waving danced along the walls, and she watched, tiredly. The medicine she'd been given was slowly wearing off, and its effects slowly dissipating from her tiny body. Outside, the halls were quiet; an occasional beeping sound here and there, sure, but generally quiet. It even seemed as though her heart monitor, usually loud and annoying, had hushed itself for the night. 

And suddenly to her left she heard whispering; she turned, her eyes wide and alert, to see a woman and a man, clad only in black, entering through her window. She thought for a minute, deciding whether or not to press the 'Call Nurse' button, and when they advanced toward her, she quickly decided against it. 

Even through her sleep her mind urged her to listen to the words the shadowy figures spoke. Her mind slipped further into the dream, and she recalled opening one eye ever so slightly to take a look at the figures hovering over her. 

"Oh my baby," a woman's voice spoke, and it seemed close. A slender hand reached out and stroked Jeannie's hair, twisting the strands between her fingers and red-painted nails. It was about the only source of color the woman had on her, and Jeannie couldn't help but think how pathetic that must've looked during the daytime. 

"She seems to be alright," a man spoke, but the way he spoke the words…his accent, it was different. It was different than any other voice she'd heard since being found in the hospital. And the tender way he spoke of her…why did they care so much? 

"Yes, she does," the woman spoke soft, careful not to wake the sleeping young woman in the bed. 

"Well then, we should probably get back." The male spoke again, this time also placing a strong hand on the Jeannie's silky straight hair. She should have been scared; she should have been flailing out of bed, running away, calling for help; but she didn't, and she wasn't. The voices, although unfamiliar, were comforting, generally soothing, and she didn't want them to leave. 

"Can't we stay just a few more minutes?" The woman pleaded, grasping Jeannie's hand tightly, to which Jeannie squinted a bit under the pressure. 

"We can't; the nurse will be coming back in, in a few more minutes to check on her. We can't be here when she walks in." 

The woman sighed, defeated, and released her grasp on Jeannie's hand. "Alright; can we come back tomorrow night?" 

"Of course we can, darling, of course." The male voice assured her over and over for what seemed like forever. 

---

Jeannie sat up, wiping her eyes free of the residue that built up in the crevices, which collected there during sleep. She inhaled fresh oxygen, and released the old, used oxygen from her nap. She looked at her hands, collecting her thoughts and replaying the dream in her head. It hadn't seemed like a dream at all; it was too real. And those voices- they were not voices she'd heard before; so how did they come to her in a dream? Weren't dreams supposed to be subconscious thoughts? If she had no subconscious, how was she able to recall the voices as if they had just been sitting right there, next to her. And why did they seem so comforting, so unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time? And she also wondered if they, the shadowy figures, had gone back the next night? She wouldn't have known; she'd been released the next morning. 

"Jeannie?" Caroline knocked lightly on the door, listening to see if she could hear her granddaughter's voice, or any form of movement indicating that Jeannie was awake and out of bed. 

"I'm up," Jeannie replied softly. She couldn't stop thinking about the dream, and doubted any decent amount of time would change that. 

"Lunch is ready if you're hungry," Caroline said. 

"I'll be down in a couple minutes," Jeannie smoothed the wrinkles from her clothing and stood up, pausing for a minute in front of the cool breeze her fan gave off. 

"Alright honey. I'll be down there waiting if you need anything." 

Jeannie nodded to herself. "Alright," she called out. She used her left hand to throw her hair into a pony-tail, fastening the hair tie securely around the large sum of hair. With her other hand she fumbled through her dresser drawers; they were still a mystery to her, even after being home for 3 days. Finally, she settled on some sweat pants and what looked to be a cheerleading shirt from her school. 

Twisting the door handle to the left, she let herself out of the tiny room and entered the hallway; it was decorated with pictures of the family. Jeannie stopped in front of one in particular; a woman and a man, holding a young boy and a baby girl in their arms. The family seemed happy enough, but why hadn't the man and woman shown up to introduces themselves to her all over again; it was odd, the entire town had already made their way to her. 

"I love that picture; it's one of my favorites" Caroline smiled, coming around the corner, folding a clean towel and placing it in the linen closet. 

"Who are they?" Jeannie furrowed her brows; although she'd never seen the woman and the man before, they looked familiar. 

"That's your father, Shane, and your mother, Kimberly. They're holding you and your brother Andrew" Caroline smiled and nodded. 

"That's my father and mother?" Jeannie asked, eyeing the picture with wide eyes. 

Caroline nodded and smiled, stroking the picture with her long nails. "Yes; it is. They died when you were 4. Andrew was 8. He's away at college now" 

"Dead?" Jeannie asked, shaking her head. They couldn't be dead; they were the shadowy figures she'd seen that night by her bedside. 


	5. Without Being Noticed

_Disclaimer: Still don't own Days. _

_A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, guys!_

Chapter Five 

"Kimberly you know we shouldn't be here" Shane whispered in a shout at his wife. 

"We've done this a ton of times" Kimberly chuckled and whispered back down at her husband. She firmly planted her foot along the fence, and pushed herself up to her daughter's bedroom window. 

"Yes, but not at 2 O'clock in the morning," Shane replied in his usual thick British accent. 

Kimberly giggled and planted herself on the niche just under the window sill. She reached down below, offering Shane a hand, and quietly helped to pull him up. "Now shush," she put her finger to her lip, hushing Shane; waking Jeannie was the last thing they wanted to do. 

"I'll do this," Shane quietly lifted the window; when did it get so hard? Had Jeannie locked it before bed? 

Kimberly giggled. "I think I can handle this one, after all Mr. Donovan, this used to be _my_ room." 

"Well I know that, but the window seems to be stuck" 

Kimberly shook her head, rolling her eyes playfully at him. "You just have to tug a bit," Kim instructed, tugging gently at the window and then lifting it up, allowing the cool outside air to penetrate the room. 

"Well aren't we the little burglar" Shane teased, batting her dirty-blonde hair out of his face. 

"Mmhmm" Kimberly chuckled and then stepped into the room, using the desk as leverage to hold her up just before hitting the floor. 

Shane entered the same way, careful not to knock the desk lamp down. Things were so much easy for Kimberly because she was female; she didn't have to worry about masculine _anything_ to get in her way. 

'_There they are'_ Jeannie thought to herself. She watched to be sure they were in the room and then popped her head off the pillow. "If you're going to be in here for a while, could you at least close the window? It's a little chilly out there." 

Kimberly snapped her head to the child whom she thought was asleep. "What are you doing awake?" 

"I could ask you the same question, but I _**know**_ what you're doing." Jeannie replied with the same sarcasm that all the Brady women had. 

"I meant that you should be sleeping." Kimberly's voice was soft; she didn't want to startle Jeannie and she certainly didn't want to wake up the rest of the family. 

"Eh. Why do that when I can watch two complete strangers crawl through my bedroom window? By the way, you're not all that good at sneaking into places." 

Shane laughed at his daughter's bluntness. "Well, we used to be." 

"'Used to' means nothing. I used to have a memory, a past, friends, family, **and parents**" Jeannie emphasized parents, leading on that she knew exactly who they were. 

"Oh Jeannie," Kimberly felt her heart break and she stepped towards her now grown up little girl. 

"That's who they tell me I am. What are you doing here? What is it you want with me?" Jeannie had become wary of almost anyone and everyone that came her way; something other than the accident had gotten into her brain, but what, she had no idea. 

"That's who you are." Shane sat in the computer chair by the desk, rolling it up to her bed. "And I'm"- He was about to introduce himself and Kim to her, but she'd cut him off before he got a chance to speak. 

"You're Shane and Kimberly, my parents. I know who you are." 

Shane nodded, a bit stunned; she didn't even know who _she _was, how did she possibly recognize them? 

Sensing their confusion Jeannie sighed and continued with an explanation. "I saw you in my hospital room that night; you're not all that great at being quiet either. At first I thought it was a dream but then I realized people don't squeeze the life out of someone's hand in a dream. All I had to do was put your faces together in my head and I was home free. I saw a picture of you in the hallway and I asked Caroline who you were." 

"Ah. Well, Shane," Kimberly said, turning to face her husband, "we certainly have an intelligent daughter." 

"Intelligent?" Jeannie cocked an eyebrow, "I'm an amnesiac, not a dummy. Besides, it doesn't take all that much brains to put two-and-two together." 

"Nonsense, you are certainly an intelligent young woman. We've been watching you throughout your whole life." 

"That's a bit creepy." Jeannie said. She could tell their intentions were from the right place, but when you put it into words it just seemed a little…obsessive. 

Kim giggled and hesitantly ran a hand through her daughter's hair. "We know you need us right now, and we want to be here. We just can't." 

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Jeannie nodded, disregarding her previous statement. 

Kim and Shane nodded in unison. "It's a long story, but there's an evil man we call The Dragon, who was after me and your mom, and when he couldn't get us on his own he teamed up with another evil man named Stefano Dimera. Between the two, it just wasn't safe for us, or for you," Shane explained, "so we faked our deaths and you and your brother, Andrew, were handed over to your grandparents and the rest of the Brady's, which is where you've been since you were four years old. Your mother and I have done our best to watch over you and your brother, and still keep our distance." 

"Believe me, it's for the best" Kimberly assured her; she couldn't help but feel like such a bad mother, but deep in her heart she understood that what they'd done had been the right thing at the time. 

"Your family really misses you, you know," Jeannie edged in, "I'm like their miniature Kim. I'm not all that sure if they're like this with Andrew; though; I haven't met the kid." She shrugged, laying her delicate head back on the feather pillow. 

"Just rest," Kimberly ordered in her most motherly tone, "your father and I will stay with you for as long as we can." She understood how much her family missed her; not a minute of her life had gone by where she wasn't thinking about her family, and how they were, and what they were doing; but she couldn't concentrate on that now. For the moment she had to concentrate on Jeannie.

Jeannie nodded; she'd felt safe with them and she hardly knew them. In fact, she knew Caroline longer than she knew them, but they seemed so caring and loving…so concerned; after all, they'd climbed through an upstairs window _**two**_ times to see her. "When will you come back?" Jeannie managed through a yawn. 

"As soon as we can for as long as we can, darling, now do as your mother says and get some rest." Shane patted his strong hand on her tiny one and watched as his daughter closed her eyes to fall asleep. 

The sunrise was the most beautiful sight Shane had seen in years; mostly because he got to share it with his wife and his daughter, an event he couldn't picture taking place in a million years. 

"We should get going, Kimberly." Shane gently lifted her from her spot next to Jeannie. She groaned but stood to her feet. 

"We have to go now, sweetie" Kim said, bending down and brushing her daughter's cheek with her lips. Jeannie groaned and shoved her face into the pillow, and Kim sat back down next to her, gently rubbing her back. "Honey, get up. Your grandmother's going to be up here any minute now to wake you for school." 

"I'm not going," Jeannie grumbled through the pillow. 

"Oh yes you are," Kim smiled, dragging her daughter out of the comfort of her bed. It was the first time in 13 years since she'd really felt like a mother. 

"No, I'm not." Jeannie argued, but it was useless. Her mother was wiser and more persistent than she was and had insisted that she go to school. "Fine," she pouted, "but I won't like it." 

"That's alright," Kimberly smirked, "just as long as you're there and you're learning." 

"Won't do that either then," Jeannie grumbled, stepping into the tiny hole that was her bathroom. 

Kim chuckled and shook her head, preparing to head back out the window with Shane; if they were going to go unnoticed they had to hurry up and leave. 

"Jeannie?" Caroline stood curiously outside her granddaughter's bedroom door. "Jeannie, is there someone in there with you?" She furrowed her brows anxiously, having heard more than one voice in there. 

Kim and Shane raised their eyebrows cautiously; could Jeannie handle this lie on her own? They stood quietly, waiting for Jeannie to come out of the bathroom. 

"Jeannie, is everything alright? Jeannie, let me in" Caroline fumbled with the lock on the door as Jeannie stepped out of her bathroom clad in her bathrobe. 

"Everything is fine; I umm, I fell asleep with the T.V. on last night. I'm sorry, I'll turn it down." Jeannie looked at her parents. 

"Are you sure? I didn't hear it on last night." Caroline interrogated. 

"Yeah; I rolled over the volume button on the remote when I got up to go into the bathroom. I'm sorry, it won't happen again." She was a remarkable liar, just like her parents. 

"Oh. Alright then; well, start getting dressed and ready; your aunt is waiting downstairs to take you into school." 

"I'll bet she is," Jeannie complained under her breath. "I'll be down in 20 minutes"

"Alright then; I'll have breakfast ready for you." Caroline stood in front of the door for a couple moments, and, when she was sure nothing was going on in the room, she left and headed back down to the pub. 

"That was a close one," Jeannie whispered urgently. "You guys need to get out of here before the Aunt of Doom comes bursting through with her lectures on how I'm going to be late for school." 

"You're right. Behave and we'll try to come back again tonight or tomorrow; have a good day at school." Kimberly placed a kiss on her daughter's head and turned for the window. 

"Learn something new," Shane smiled, ruffling his daughter's hair; he wondered if she'd ever get her memory back, or if he should tell her the truth behind the accident and the amnesia. Looking down at her, he shook the thought from his mind, assuring himself that he and Kimberly could go up against the Dimeras without Jeannie ever finding out, and they could be the ones to retrieve her life for her. 

"Yeah, sure will," Jeannie said in sarcasm. "You better get going, I have to head downstairs." 

Shane nodded and turned, standing behind his wife. Opening the window quietly, the two managed to climb down without being seen, and escape without being noticed. Jeannie sighed in relief; there was only one thing she was certain of, as this new girl; she loved her parents- no matter what they did, who they were, or who she was. 


End file.
